Projects Funded

Spring 2013

1.) Sustainability Conference - $4,000 to Sharon Hartzell, Student Co-Chair of the Programs and Education Subcommittee of the Committee on Sustainability, and advisor Patrick Foley, College Sustainability Fellow

As William and Mary moves towards a greener campus, various sustainability groups and initiatives have developed around campus. This funding will help establish William and Mary’s first Sustainability Conference during the fall of 2013 that will bring these groups and the William and Mary community together. The $4,000 will help develop a conference aimed at increasing communication about sustainability initiatives and groups at the College while also bringing together representatives from various sustainability-related groups. This conference will provide a forum through which William and Mary students, faculty, and staff can set and share their sustainability objectives for the following year.

2.) Frontline Speaker Series - $1,000 to Sharon Hartzell, Student Co-Chair of the Programs and Education Subcommittee of the Committee on Sustainability, and advisor Patrick Foley, College Sustainability Fellow

In an effort to promote sustainability and awareness on campus, COS promotes education on sustainability. This funding will help bring a variety of speakers from frontline communities to speak to the campus community. Many communities in the United States have experienced the direct and negative impacts of fossil fuel dependence. These frontline community members have valuable insight into the devastating effects of fossil fuel dependence and their experiences will help shape the understanding of sustainability at William and Mary. Speakers will discuss the impact of a variety of extractive practices such as mountaintop removal coal mining, hydraulic fracturing, and other extractive industries.

3.) Blast Chiller proposal - $9,500 to Colleen Swingle, Student Gardens Manager and advisor Larry Smith, Director of Dining Services

William and Mary dining facilities have increasingly sought more sustainable food sources and food preparation methods. This funding will help purchase a blast chiller which will increase food safety, reduce food waste, preserve food quality, and provide for more local food procurement. A blast chiller will reduce the likelihood of food contaminants by quickly cooling foods from +194°F to +37°F in less than 90 minutes while also maintaining food quality, texture, and taste. This reduces food waste that would arise from food safety or quality issues. The blast chiller will also increase local food procurement by allowing for greater purchases of in-season local food sources that can be stored for future use.

4.) Video Project - $520 to Tristan Schnader ’13 and advisor Patrick Foley, College Sustainability Fellow

In promoting sustainability at William and Mary, this funding will help create an educational video on environmental sustainability for incoming students. The college has made a commitment to furthering sustainable practices on campus and an important component for promoting this sustainability is through education and awareness. This funding will provide for the creation of a five minute sustainability video that helps incoming students understand how they can live more sustainable lives while at William and Mary. As a part of the orientation program for new students, this video will promote awareness of sustainability and emphasize its important role on campus.

5.) Plastic Bag Recycling - $800 to Tristan Schnader ’13 and advisor Bob Avalle, Director of Operations and Maintenance of Facilities Management

In an ongoing effort to reduce plastic waste around the William and Mary campus, COS will provide funding for an intern to continue the plastic bag recycling program that began in the fall of 2011. The intern will establish and coordinate the pick-up and emptying of plastic bag recycling bins around campus while also promoting awareness of the plastic bag recycling program through an education campaign.

6.) Tribe Truck Farm - $4,676 to Jes Carr, Nicole Broder, and advisor Sarah Glaser, Visiting Scientist at VIMS

Building upon the success of William and Mary’s campus garden program, COS will provide a matching grant for a Tribe Truck Farm if the student leaders are able to raise half of the funds through a kickstarter campaign. The Tribe Truck Farm will serve as a micro-farm grown in the bed of a mobile pick-up truck that runs on vegetable oil waste. This innovative outreach tool will promote awareness and dialogue regarding sustainable agriculture practices among the campus community. The mobile nature of the truck farm will also allow the William and Mary community to engage in dialogue and educational outreach with surrounding elementary, middle and high schools in the greater Williamsburg area.

7.) Reusable Bags Distribution at Orientation to Promote On-Campus Recycling - $5,695 to Brooke Huffman, Emma Rodvien, Co-chairs of Education and Outreach and Advisor Robert Avalle, Director of Operations and Maintenance of Facilities Management

This student-led project’s goal is to promote education and understanding of on-campus recycling options for incoming students. In recent years, various recycling programs have emerged on the William and Mary campus. Students are now able to recycle an extensive list of items from ink cartridges to light bulbs. In order to ensure that awareness of these programs also grows, COS is funding the purchase of custom reusable bags that depict a list of on-campus recycling options. These reusable bags will be handed out to incoming students during orientation as part of efforts to educate students on available recycling options and the overall sustainability goals of the William and Mary community.

8.) Keck Rain Garden - $5,200 to Randy Chambers, Director of the Keck Lab, and Marjani Dele, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Science and Policy

The Keck Lab serves as a significant feature of environmental instruction and research at William and Mary. The construction of the Keck Lab driveway and parking lot has resulted in erosion of the Lake Matoaka shore area and runoff into the lake itself. In order to address these issues, COS will be funding the installation of a sustainable rain garden. This rain garden will reduce storm-water runoff and erosion by controlling water flow, while also providing for an aesthetically attractive landscape feature for the entire campus community to enjoy.

9.) Solar powered vehicle - $11,500 to David Malmquist, VIMS Communications Office and to Patrick Foley, College Sustainability Fellow, the College of William and Mary Main Campus

In promotion of sustainable travel on and around the William and Mary and VIMS campuses, COS will fund the purchase of two Elf velomobiles, one for the VIMS campus and one for main campus. These solar-powered electric vehicles are solar-pedal hybrids that allow for safe and sustainable transportation of college staff and equipment. Compared to ordinary vehicles, the Elf velomobiles will reduce costs to the college and promote sustainability. The highly visible vehicles will serve as mobile symbols of sustainability and advocate the benefits of zero-carbon vehicles around campus. These vehicles will also serve as sustainability outreach tools for William and Mary at important events such as the VIMS’ Marine Science Day.